February 26, 2014

Fish Tacos, Atkins friendly

Yes, I have joined the Atkins bandwagon, about a decade after the cool people did it. I tried it for a month last summer and it went well, but I had to go off it, due to conventions, pig roasts, and birthdays. And then it didn't make sense to go back on before this or that. And then it was almost Thanksgiving. And then, what is the point of going on a diet before Christmas? There isn't, that's what. Finally I ran out of reasons to postpone it, and started it again. It isn't too bad. At least I don't have to count calories, which always is so terribly complicated if you cook homemade food all the time. Or at least it is for me. Who has time to weigh every little thing to figure out the serving size? Or more to the point, who is that organized? Not me, unfortunately.

I know everyone thinks of bacon and butter when you say Atkins, but I prefer to think of it more as a whole foods diet. I do have a bit of bacon and sausage here and there and I haven't been brave enough to make my own mayonnaise (so daring! Ha!) so I do eat those processed foods. Otherwise, it is meat and vegetables. (Oh, and my one indulgence is a square of 90% chocolate every day. Did you know 90% chocolate only has 2 grams of carbs per square? (See? There I am, counting things anyway.) I am not sure if chocolate would every be considered an Atkins food by any purist, but what do they know? If it means I stay on the diet versus diving into a platter of chocolate cupcakes, then I will eat it without guilt.) And after salad upon salad and various cuts of meat, you start craving something with a bit more zip. Which is where fish tacos come in.
Clover made these several years ago and I loved them then. They seemed a bit complicated for regular living, but I loved them so much that I made them again. And being me, I didn't have this or that and didn't feel like doing the other thing, so these ended up a bit different from the original version from America's Test Kitchen.

A couple dozen batches later, I still love these. And I haven't met too many other people who don't like them, except my Dad, who has an obsessive dislike of cilantro. Every other week or two, I mix up a batch of these and eat them for lunches that week. Once I started doing low carb, I adapted them to low carb-ness, which was quite simple. For those of you who are bored with low carb nonsense, I will include the fish breading part at the end.

For those of you interested in low carb creds, I calculate a total of 24 carbs in ALL the cabbage slaw, chipotle mayo, and seasonings, so if you divide it up into four servings, it is about 6 carbs per serving.

Fish Tacos

Adapted from America's Test Kitchen (I think)

Cabbage Slaw

4 cups shredded cabbage (1/4 of large or 1/2 of small cabbage)

3 Tablespoons minced red onions

2 Tablespoons cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix together, set aside.

Chipotle Mayonnaise

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1-3 teaspoons chipotle peppers in Adobo Sauce, chopped

1 Tablespoon lime juice

1 Tablespoon minced cilantro

1 medium garlic clove minced or pressed

Mix together, set aside.

Fish

Tilapia, Cod, Haddock or any other white fish fillets.

Oil or butter for pan

Onion powder

Garlic powder

Salt

Pepper

Cayenne Pepper

Smoked Paprika

Heat oil in pan, until very hot/slightly smoking. Put in the fish fillets (I cook them straight from the freezer, no thawing) and sprinkle generously with the above seasonings. Cook for 5-8 minutes on one side, flip and cook for another few minutes until fish is solid white and cooked through.

Serve on a bed of cabbage slaw with a dollop of chipotle mayonnaise or on warmed corn tortillas, with a little cabbage slaw and chip. mayo inside.

For those of you who like extra work and more dishes, here is the breading info for the fish.

First of all, you have to thaw the fish, which I find time consuming and silly. Then, for 1 1/2 pounds of fillets, mix together

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Pat fish dry with paper towels and coat with flour and chili powder mixture. Place in hot skillet and fry in the oil for 5 minutes. Flip over and cook until the fish just begins to flake apart. Eat on tortillas as above.

1 comment:

I didn't know your dad hated cilantro! So does my mom and Josh! They should get together sometime and not eat Mexican food! Also, this makes me want Mexican food. And cilantro. And an herb garden. And summer.